A Cultural Fusion at the World of Coffee in Copenhagen: Slow Food Coffee Coalition Unites Members of the Supply Chain

The Slow Food Coffee Coalition 3rd participation

After Coffee Coalition’s participation in the World of Coffee in Milan and Athens, this year’s event promises many opportunities for the network to shorten the supply chain by bringing in the same space producers, traders and roasters. Through a series of cupping, tastings, and interactive sessions, they aimed to immerse participants in the multifaceted world of good, clean and fair coffee, highlighting its cultural richness and diverse flavors. The World of Coffee is an international event with different appointments (each year one in Europe, one in Asia and one in the US) and represents one of the key moments of the year for everyone working in specialty coffee.

Bridging Cultures through Coffee and Forging Alliances for the Future

This year, of particular significance was the collaboration between the Slow Food Coffee Coalition and a delegation from Saudi Arabia, within the framework of Slow Food’s partnership with the Culinary Arts Commission. Their partnership serves as a testament to the unifying power of coffee, transcending cultural and geographical boundaries. Together, they aimed to forge new connections, foster dialogue, and promote cooperation.

Coffee has long been of a great cultural significance in Saudi Arabia, rooted within social traditions and celebrated in all stages from farming to preparation and the special serving methods. Therefore, many efforts are being made to enhance the coffee production cycle with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Culinary Arts Commision, which launched a dedicated campaign for the Year of Saudi Coffee in 2022 and continues to develop and lead various initiatives ever since.

For many of the Saudi producers, this was the first ever international event focused on coffee they get to participate in. Small-holder farmers don’t always have the chance to follow the coffee when it leaves their farms, so this was a particularly special opportunity for them to uncover all the steps of commercialization, marketing and networking related to the world of coffee.

The activities focused on: cuppings (tasting) of coffee from the delegation of producers of the Coffee Coalition done together with stakeholders of the supply chain; lectures about the specialty coffee world; and exchanges with farmers on coffee cultivation practices.

For most of the Saudi participants from the Coffee Coalition, it was the first time they have the chance to engage in professional and espresso cuppings in an international event, while also having the floor to present what coffee cultivation looks like and mean in Saudi Arabia and network with many different stakeholders at the same time.

As they came together on the global stage of the World of Coffee, the SFCC and the Saudi delegation did not only share expertise but also forged new connections and alliances with stakeholders of the coffee world, such as roasters of the Coffee Coalition, green coffee traders, coffee machines manufacturers and so on.

A Glimpse into the Future

The atmosphere of the World of Coffee was also an occasion to discuss the next steps of the collaboration with the Saudi network of producers for the spread of the Coffee Coalition network in Saudi Arabia. Future activities will involve the visit of another delegation in Italy to tour the Coffee Coalition partners and receive specific trainings on sensory skills and brewing, while at the same time keeping on the work of establishing a Slow Food Community with a specific focus on coffee in the coffee-growing regions of Saudi Arabia.